Why Thrive?

Thrive Youth Center in San Antonio is a safe space where shelter, support and encouragement is provided to all LGBTQ+ young adults experiencing homelessness, where they can transform their lives to flourish and Thrive.

Did you know that LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ+ youth? Additionally, 45% of homeless young adults identify as LGBTQ+.

Thrive Youth Center By the Numbers:

  • Since opening in 2015, Thrive has served more than 250 young adults and housed 100 youth
  • Thrive’s Street Outreach team has had 141 meaningful encounters with young adults, leading to 49 youth entering shelter
  • 29 Thrive youth have obtained a GED or High School Diploma
  • 11 transgender young adults have obtained a legal name and gender-marker change
  • 50 youth who were unemployed when entering housing with Thrive have gained meaningful employment

These numbers are uplifting, but they don’t capture the other immeasurable successes, like when an LGBTQ+ young adult says that they feel safe and accepted for the first time, says that they’re no longer trading sex for food and shelter and can once again look at themselves in the mirror, or tells you that they no longer want to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol because they see a brighter future ahead.

Sometimes, success can be as simple as a young adult saying that they finally have the opportunity to think about what they want in life for the very first time, because they’re no longer struggling to survive in chaos and now have the opportunity to have peaceful moments to themselves. These statements are not just ideas of what we hope Thrive Youth Center has accomplished since opening in 2015, they’re direct quotes from conversations staff members have had with our youth, and this is why we do the work we do.

Testimonials